Passing Physics

This weekend as my team and I were warming up for our game, I realized that volleyball has a lot to do with acceleration, velocity, and displacement. The ball always travels at many different speeds and varies in acceleration depending on how hard it is contacted. Also vertically speaking, the displacement of the ball will always be positive if the ground is considered the origin.

Since volleyball is influenced by acceleration, velocity, and displacement, kinematic equations can often be used to determine the speed of the ball and how far it will travel. As a libero, I have to pass a lot of serves and hits. If I can measure how fast the ball is traveling when I pass it, the acceleration of the ball, and how long it takes for the ball to reach its peak, then I can use the kinematic equations to determine the height of the peak of my pass. With these calculations I can see if I need to add more acceleration to get a higher pass or slow the ball down to lower the height of the pass. I can also calculate what speed and acceleration the ball must be moving to pass the ball a certain distance. As I begin to understand physics more and unravel all its concepts, I think I will be able to find more relations to volleyball.